Kashmir Earthquake

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the urgent unmet humanitarian need in Kashmir following the earthquake.

Hilary Benn: The situation remains critical. More and continuing assistance is needed. The United Nations has developed a priority plan targeting assistance to an estimated 200,000 individuals in the high valleys, as well as 150,000 people expected to settle in both spontaneous and planned camps. The focus of the Plan is an emergency shelter programme, medical evacuations, pre-positioning of food assistance for 700,000 and the maintenance of mobile health units and vaccination services. Additionally, site planning and construction of 30 camps, repair of vital damaged water supply systems and installation of latrines, establishment of temporary schools, and provision of heating and cooking supplies for 150,000 in camps.

Maldives Islands

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much development aid the Maldives islands has received in each year since 1997.

Gareth Thomas: The following table sets out how much development aid the Maldives have received each year since 1997, and how much aid they have received from the UK:
	
		Total donor aid and UK aid to Maldives: 1997–2004
		
			 £ millions 
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Total all donors 15.82 15.09 18.96 12.73 17.32 18.30 12.58 (1)— 
			 Total UK 0.25 0.27 0.31 0.32 0.24 0.26 0.21 0.2 
		
	
	(1) not available
	The UK also provides aid through multilateral institutions, some of which will benefit the Maldives. The following table sets out the UK's equivalent contribution to the Maldives as a share of our multilateral assistance.
	
		
			£ thousands 
			 UK multilateral shares EC Other UN World Bank Grand total 
		
		
			 1998 0.0 10.0 130.0 230.0 370.0 
			 1999 30.0 0.00 140.0 0.0 170.0 
			 2000 30.0 40.0 190.0 140.0 400.0 
			 2001 10.0 120.0 200.0 -30.0 300.0 
			 2002 0.0 200.0 150.0 0.00 350.0 
			 2003 0.0 230.0 150.0 340.0 720.0 
		
	
	Source:
	DAC on-line and imputed multilateral shares—4 November 2005

Avian Influenza

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will propose to ministerial colleagues that poultry auctioneers who are closed down as a result of Government measures to prevent an outbreak of Avian influenza be exempt from council tax and rates on their auction sites for the period of their closure.

Ben Bradshaw: Government policy is not to compensate for consequential losses resulting from a disease outbreak.

Avian Influenza

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Government plans to introduce a standstill policy for poultry movements in the event of an Avian influenza outbreak.

Ben Bradshaw: In the event of a disease outbreak, current legislation restricts movements within the infected area.

Waste Disposal

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many incinerators are used in England to burn (a) household, (b) industrial and (c) other waste.

Ben Bradshaw: The Environment Agency regulates 64 incinerators in England under the Integrated Pollution Control Regime (Environmental Protection Act 1990, part 1) and the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations 2000 SI 1972. The breakdown is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Burning household waste 16 
			 Burning industrial waste (5)23 
			 Burning other waste (6)25 
		
	
	(5) Two merchant waste incinerators and the remaining 21 are in-house waste incinerators.
	(6) Clinical waste, sewage sludge and animal carcase incinerators
	As regards smaller incinerators regulated by local authorities, data from our 2003–04 statistical survey for England and Wales (http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/airquality/lapc/survey0304/index.htm) shows 65 incinerators were regulated and a further 36 combustion plant. We do not have a breakdown of how many of the 36 combustion plant burnt waste.
	Separate data collected for 2001–02 for England and Wales (http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/airquality/lapc/aqnotes/pdf/aq03%2802%29.pdf) show that 19 installations were subject to guidance for waste combustion plant, 22 used clinical waste incineration guidance, 26 used animal carcase incineration guidance and seven used general waste incineration guidance.

Birth Rates

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many babies have been born in Tamworth constituency in each year since 1997.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell to Mr. Brian Jenkins, dated 9 November 2005
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question for the number of babies born in Tamworth constituency in each year since 1997. (26156)
	The table below relates to babies born anywhere in England and Wales to women usually resident in Tamworth constituency area at the time of the birth. Counts are provided up to 2004, the latest year for which figures are available.
	
		Live births to residents of Tamworth constituency, 1997 to 2004
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1997 1,174 
			 1998 1,184 
			 1999 1,115 
			 2000 1,087 
			 2001 1,084 
			 2002 979 
			 2003 1,149 
			 2004 1,124

Economic Indicators

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what methodology he uses to assess the UK's economic performance compared with other EU countries.

John Healey: The Treasury paper on "Long-term global economic challenges and opportunities for Europe" provides information on the economic performances of EU member states.

Employment Statistics

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were (a) employed and (b) unemployed in each electoral ward in Tamworth constituency in each year since 1997.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell to Mr. Brian Jenkins, dated 9 November 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about employment and unemployment. (26161)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of employment and unemployment from the Labour Force Survey following International Labour Organisation definitions. Estimates of employment and unemployment are not available for wards as the survey sample size for such areas is too small.
	Table 1, attached, shows the 2001 Census figures for numbers persons aged 16 to 74 in employment who were resident in the electoral wards of the Tamworth constituency.
	ONS also compiles statistics for local areas of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance. Table 2, attached, shows annual averages, for 1996 to 2004, for wards within the Tamworth constituency.
	
		Table 1: Number of persons aged 16 to 74 in employment resident in electoral wards of the Tamworth parliamentary constituency
		
			 Electoral wards(7) Number 
		
		
			 Bourne Vale 1,079 
			 Fazeley 2,018 
			 Little Aston 1,164 
			 Mease Valley 885 
			 Shenstone 1,557 
			 Stonnall 767 
			 Tame 842 
			 Amington 4,497 
			 Belgrave 3,633 
			 Bolehall 3,369 
			 Castle 4,209 
			 Glascote 3,356 
			 Mercian 3,109 
			 Spital 2,449 
			 Stonydelph 4,125 
			 Trinity 3,933 
			 Wilnecote 4,332 
			 Total 45,324 
		
	
	(7) Electoral wards are defined on the basis of the boundaries as they were in 1991.
	Source:
	2001 Census
	
		Table 2: Jobseeker's allowance claimants resident in electoral wards of the Tamworth parliamentary constituency
		
			 Annual averages 
			 Electoral wards(8) 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Bourne Vale 31 30 34 29 28 25 23 16 
			 Fazeley 76 68 74 70 64 54 60 50 
			 Little Aston 21 12 12 12 14 11 11 13 
			 Mease Valley 13 11 8 8 9 10 11 9 
			 Shenstone 36 33 27 24 19 18 23 19 
			 Stonnall 23 18 15 13 18 15 14 11 
			 Tame 15 15 17 12 14 10 11 11 
			 Amington 222 175 202 182 171 143 139 127 
			 Belgrave 208 173 183 163 141 123 119 94 
			 Bolehall 136 121 146 126 108 99 89 76 
			 Castle 144 122 122 107 90 92 89 96 
			 Glascote 279 248 250 239 211 174 153 132 
			 Mercian 135 114 117 96 91 77 69 68 
			 Spital 95 93 102 80 69 69 58 46 
			 Stonydelph 149 127 137 133 111 94 95 105 
			 Trinity 82 69 78 66 75 59 57 50 
			 Wilnecote 110 88 100 98 97 86 80 67 
			 Total 1,775 1,517 1,624 1,458 1,330 1,159 1,101 990 
		
	
	(8) Electoral wards are defined on the basis of the boundaries as they were in 1991.
	Source:
	Jobcentre Plus administrative systems.

Fatality Statistics

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many fatalities in Hertfordshire have been attributed to (a) fires and (b) road traffic accidents in each year since 1997.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Michael Penning, dated 9 November 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many fatalities in Hertfordshire have been attributed to (a) fires and (b) road traffic accidents in each year since 1997. I am replying in her absence. (25573)
	The most recent available information is for deaths in 2004. Figures for deaths due to land transport accidents and exposure to smoke, fire or flames, are shown in the attached table for each year from 1997 to 2004.
	
		Deaths due to land transport accidents and exposure to smoke, fire, or flames,(9) for normal residents of Hertfordshire, registered 1997 to 2004
		
			  Land transport accidents Smoke, fire or flames 
		
		
			 1997 68 11 
			 1998 62 9 
			 1999 59 4 
			 2000 63 8 
			 2001 36 5 
			 2002 53 8 
			 2003 60 1 
			 2004 56 1 
		
	
	(9) Cause of death was defined using the codes below from the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) for the years 1997 and 2000, and Tenth Revision (ICD-l0) from 2001 onwards.
	Land transport accidents:
	ICD-9-E800-E829
	ICD-10-V01-V89
	Smoke, fire or flames:
	ICD-9-E890-E899, E958.1, E968.0, E988.1
	ICD-10-X00-X09, X76, X97, Y26.
	Includes deaths given a verdict of accident, assault, suicide or undetermined intent. Deaths were selected using the original underlying cause.

Public Transport

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Government is taking to ensure people have access to effective public transport, with particular reference to rural communities.

Karen Buck: We are working with the bus industry and local authorities to ensure that all communities have the effective bus services they need. The Bus Partnership Forum brings together senior representatives of the industry, central and local government to find practical ways of improving local bus services. The forum has, for example, published guidance on improving the punctuality of bus services and has encouraged bus operators and local authorities to form local punctuality improvement partnerships to help bring about improvements in performance.
	Local and central Government provides funding of over £1.6 billion annually to support bus services. This includes £53 million this year provided by the Department in the form of Rural Bus Subsidy Grant to assist local authorities to support bus services in rural areas. Since 1998 we have also allocated a total of £110 million to 300 rural transport projects under the Rural Bus Challenge scheme.
	On 1 November we announced "Kickstart" support, totalling £20 million, for 43 projects involving new and improved bus services which will become viable through growth in passenger numbers after an initial period of pump-priming from Government funds. 11 of these schemes will serve areas which are mainly rural in character.
	Finally, we are expecting all local transport authorities to include accessibility strategies in their next Local Transport Plans, due in March next year. These strategies should be based on evidence and analysis of the problems people face in accessing jobs and essential services and facilities. They should include consideration of the accessibility and availability of local public transport. Our guidance to authorities makes clear that the strategies should take account of the particular needs of rural communities.

Fuel Poverty

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people he estimates were living in fuel poverty in each of the last five years; what estimate he has made of the numbers in 2005–06; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Figures for the number of households in fuel poverty in England are produced from analysis of the English House Condition Survey. From 2003, the survey is being carried out on a continuous rolling basis. Prior to 2001, however, this survey was conducted on a five-yearly basis. Hence, the number of households in fuel poverty is not available for all of the last five years. The figures for 2001 and 2003 are available, with an estimate being available for 2002. These statistics are detailed in the following table:
	
		
			Million 
			  Total number of households in fuel poverty Total number of vulnerable households in fuel poverty 
		
		
			 2001 1.7 1.4 
			 2002 (estimate) 1.4 1.2 
			 2003 1.2 1.0 
		
	
	Fuel poverty statistics for the United Kingdom are published in the UK Fuel Poverty Annual Progress Report.
	Analysis of the overall effects of changes in fuel prices and incomes, excluding consideration of energy efficiency improvements, suggests that the total number of vulnerable households in fuel poverty is likely to rise by between 200,000 and 800,000 households in England between 2003 and 2006. This is based on a range of price and income assumptions published by the DTI in July 2005.

Working Time Directive

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the effects on UK business of the EU's Working Time Directive; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government published a Compliance Cost Assessment (CCA) of the predicted effect of the EU Working Time Directive on UK business with Explanatory Memorandum 13526/98 on 11 January 1999.
	The Department has also commissioned and published five research reports on the effects of the Working Time Directive, in its Employment Relations Research Series. A summary of Departmental monitoring and evaluation of the Working Time Regulations can be found in "Employment relations monitoring and evaluation plan 2005" (No. 44, July 2005).
	The European Parliament and Council of Ministers are currently debating proposals from the Commission to amend the Working Time Directive. The Government has published two initial Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs) of the predicted effect of the proposed Directive on UK business. The most recent was submitted on 12 July 2005, following Explanatory Memorandum 9554/05.

Illegal Immigrants

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his most recent estimate is of the number of people living illegally in the United Kingdom (a) through overstaying visas, (b) as illegal immigrants and (c) as failed asylum seekers; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: No government has ever been able to produce an accurate figure for the number of people who are in the country illegally. By its very nature it is impossible to quantify accurately, and that remains the case.
	Although it is impossible to determine accurately how many people are in the UK illegally the Home Office published a report which included an estimate of the size of the illegal migrant population in the UK in 2001. A copy of the RDS On-line report 29/05—"Sizing the unauthorised (illegal) migrant population in the United Kingdom in 2001" can be found at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/notes/june_summaries.html

It's Your Call Campaign

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many police forces have introduced an It's Your Call Campaign; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment has been made of the It's Your Call Campaign; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: "It's Your Call" campaigns have been introduced in 47 areas around the country. It has been for the individual area to decide on how the It's the Call service should be implemented and which of the services might take the lead for responding to the initial call. This initiative is part of the commitment made by Action Areas to raise levels of action and to make services more accessible to the public. The campaign seeks to encourage the community to play their part in reporting antisocial behaviour and for feedback to be communicated on the actions taken.
	An early evaluation of the campaign focused on callers from eight of the first 25 areas showed that the campaign had been a success. Four out of five callers (82 per cent.) would recommend it to a friend or neighbour and two thirds (66 per cent.) had their problem resolved after just one call. Nearly three in five (57 per cent.) said they were satisfied with this new service.
	The 'It's Your Call Antisocial Behaviour Hotline Evaluation Survey' can be found by visiting the TOGETHER website at www.together.gov.uk.

Primates

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many primates have been used for biomedical tests in the United Kingdom in each of the last five years.

Andy Burnham: The number of primates used in procedures for which the primary purpose was applied studies in human medicine or dentistry is given in Table 1a of the annual publication Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, a copy of which is in the Library.
	Only the number of procedures starting in a particular year is recorded against that particular year; the figures exclude procedures which started in a previous year and are ongoing.
	A brief extract from this table, showing also total figures, is shown in the table.
	
		
			   Number 
			  Non-human primates which started regulated procedures under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 Applied studies in human medicine or dentistry 
		
		
			 1999 3,191 2,740 
			 2000 2,951 2,473 
			 2001 3,342 2,511 
			 2002 3,173 2,649 
			 2003 3,073 2,191

Road Accidents

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action the Government are taking to reduce the number of road accidents.

Stephen Ladyman: I have been asked to reply.
	In March 2000, the Government launched the road safety strategy, "Tomorrow's roads—safer for everyone", establishing new long-term 10 year casualty reduction targets to be achieved by the end of 2010. These are:
	a 40 per cent. reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured (KSI)
	a 50 per cent. reduction in the number of child (under 16) KSIs
	a 10 per cent. reduction in the rate of slight casualties, expressed as the number of people slightly injured per 100 million vehicle kilometres
	(compared with the average for 1994–98).
	The Department for Transport has a road safety public service agreement (PSA) target to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured and children killed or seriously injured as outlined above. In 2002 the PSA target was strengthened to include a commitment to
	"tackling the higher incidence of casualties among disadvantaged communities".
	The first review of the road safety strategy was published in April 2004 and concluded that good progress was being made. It highlighted issues of particular concern, such as the levelling out of road deaths and the potential under reporting of slight casualties. The Department for Transport has commissioned research to investigate both of these issues. The second review of the strategy will commence in spring 2006.
	A comprehensive Road Safety Bill is currently progressing through the House of Lords, to give effect to several elements of the road safety strategy and support the casualty reduction targets.
	There is continued good progress towards our targets. Full 2004 data (published 29 September 2005) show KSI casualties 28 per cent. down on the 1994–98 baseline, and child KSIs down 43 per cent. 2004 saw the biggest annual drop (8 per cent.) in both deaths and serious injuries since the road safety strategy was launched. Provisional data for Q2 2005 show a continuing decline in KSIs, down 33 per cent. on baseline.

Incapacity Benefit

Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many incapacity benefit claimants of working age receive (a) income support with a disability premium, (b) incapacity benefit and (c) severe disablement allowance; and how many did so in May 1997.

James Plaskitt: The information is in the table.
	
		Numbers of working age claimants of incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance, and income support with a disability premium, by benefit combination at dates shown
		
			  May 
			  1997 2005 
		
		
			 Incapacity benefit only 1,730,800 1,614,500 
			 Incapacity benefit and income support 550,300 867,200 
			 Income support only 106,400 116,200 
			 Severe disability allowance only 144,200 76,200 
			 Severe disability allowance and income support 199,200 183,400 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	2. 5 per cent. IB/SDA figures have been rated up to match 100 per cent. WPLS totals for working age IB/SDA.
	3. "Income support" includes only those income support claims that include a disability premium.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate, combination of Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) and 5 per cent. data.

Pension Credit

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the number of pensioners (a) entitled to and (b) receiving pension credit; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the number of pensioners who are entitled to pension credit but who are not claiming it.

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the take-up of pension credit since it was introduced.

Stephen Timms: Information on numbers of households and individuals in receipt of pension credit at 30 June 2005 is contained in the most recent quarterly pension credit progress report published on 20 October. A copy of the report is available in the Library.
	It is becoming clear that the number of people who are eligible for pension credit is less than the initial estimate. National statistics showing the number of pensioners entitled to pension credit in the first six months after its introduction and the subsequent take-up rate are expected to be available in December. The precise date of release of these statistics and the publication plans for the following set, covering 2004–05, will be pre-announced in "National Statistics Updates"; the diary of statistical releases.

Pensions

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each constituency in the Yorkshire and Humber region received a state pension in each of the past three years.

Stephen Timms: The number of State Pension recipients in each constituency within the Yorkshire and Humber Government Office Region as at 31 May for the years shown is in the table.
	
		
			Thousand 
			  2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 Barnsley, Central 13.8 14.0 14.1 
			 Barnsley, East and Mexborough 16.0 16.0 16.2 
			 Barnsley, West and Penistone 16.1 16.3 16.6 
			 Batley and Spen 13.8 14.0 14.1 
			 Beverley and Holderness 19.8 20.3 20.8 
			 Bradford, North 13.8 13.7 13.7 
			 Bradford, South 14.7 14.7 14.7 
			 Bradford, West 12.5 12.5 12.3 
			 Brigg and Goole 16.8 17.1 17.5 
			 Calder Valley 17.3 17.5 17.6 
			 City of York 18.4 18.3 18.2 
			 Cleethorpes 18.3 18.7 19.1 
			 Colne Valley 16.8 17.1 17.4 
			 Dewsbury 13.7 13.8 13.8 
			 Doncaster, Central 16.6 16.6 16.5 
			 Doncaster, North 14.9 15.1 15.1 
			 Don Valley 16.5 16.8 17.0 
			 East Yorkshire 22.0 22.6 23.2 
			 Elmet 18.1 18.5 18.8 
			 Great Grimsby 15.0 15.1 15.1 
			 Halifax 16.4 16.4 16.4 
			 Haltemprice and Howden 18.5 18.9 19.4 
			 Harrogate and Knaresborough 17.8 17.8 17.9 
			 Hemsworth 15.9 16.3 16.6 
			 Huddersfield 15.0 15.0 15.0 
			 Keighley 17.6 17.8 17.8 
			 Kingston upon Hull, East 15.7 15.7 15.6 
			 Kingston upon Hull, North 12.5 12.6 12.6 
			 Kingston upon Hull, West and Hessle 15.2 15.0 15.0 
			 Leeds, Central 13.1 12.7 12.4 
			 Leeds, East 13.3 13.4 13.2 
			 Leeds, North East 15.8 15.7 15.7 
			 Leeds, North West 14.7 14.7 14.6 
			 Leeds, West 13.2 13.2 13.0 
			 Morley and Rothwell 15.8 16.0 16.2 
			 Normanton 14.4 14.7 14.8 
			 Pontefract and Castleford 15.0 15.0 15.1 
			 Pudsey 17.2 17.2 17.5 
			 Richmond (Yorkshire) 17.7 18.2 18.7 
			 Rother Valley 16.0 16.2 16.7 
			 Rotherham 13.5 13.7 13.7 
			 Ryedale 20.8 21.1 21.5 
			 Scarborough and Whitby 22.4 22.7 22.9 
			 Scunthorpe 14.9 15.2 15.3 
			 Selby 17.7 18.1 18.4 
			 Sheffield, Attercliffe 17.4 17.5 17.6 
			 Sheffield, Brightside 13.2 13.1 13.0 
			 Sheffield, Central 12.2 12.0 11.8 
			 Sheffield, Hallam 14.4 14.5 14.6 
			 Sheffield, Heeley 16.8 16.8 16.9 
			 Sheffield, Hillsborough 18.2 18.7 19.0 
			 Shipley 17.5 17.7 17.8 
			 Skipton and Ripon 21.1 21.4 21.8 
			 Vale of York 19.3 19.7 20.2 
			 Wakefield 16.1 16.4 16.7 
			 Wentworth 15.6 15.8 16.1 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Government Office Region 907.0 915.5 923.3 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest hundred and are shown in thousands.
	2. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	3. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant Office for National Statistics postcode directory.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate—Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (100 per cent. data)

Departmental Expenditure

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to note 20 of his Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2004–05, if he will list the capital commitments that have been contracted for but not yet provided.

Adam Ingram: The capital commitments figure in Note 20 of the Departmental Resource Accounts represents the aggregate estimated value of contracts, across the Department, for work that has not yet been undertaken and, therefore, has not been provided for in the accounts. The following list, of all commitments over £100 million each, represents £18,571 million (90.8 per cent. of the total of £20,446 million quoted in Note 20).
	
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 Typhoon Production 5,171,069 
			 A400M (heavy lift aircraft) 2,048,300 
			 Support Vehicles 1,065,635 
			 T45 Destroyer 1,044,179 
			 Typhoon Development 1,042,728 
			 Joint Combat Aircraft 900,000 
			 Bowman (communications system) 774,323 
			 Investment at AWE 724,657 
			 Nimrod MRA4 (multi-role aircraft) 717,953 
			 BVRAAM (air to air missile) 644,000 
			 PAAMS (missile system) 605,686 
			 Astute (submarine) 457,153 
			 Stingray (torpedo) 288,654 
			 Infantry Anti-Tank guided weapon 259,573 
			 NLAW (light anti-armour weapon) 259,067 
			 Swiftsure and Trafalgar (update) Final Phase (submarine) 251,771 
			 HMS Victorious 232,803 
			 Terrier (earth moving vehicle) 231,230 
			 Sea Wolf Block 2 228,369 
			 Brimstone (anti-armour weapon) 203,245 
			 HVM Missiles 188,574 
			 ASTOR (radar system) 177,847 
			 Building to house laser system 159,500 
			 Wheeled Tanker 154,449 
			 Future Command and Liaison Vehicle 144,838 
			 Sea Wolf midlife update 132,395 
			 Trojan and Titan (armoured vehicles) 130,590 
			 Precision Guided Bomb 124,467 
			 Soothsayer (communications) 108,083 
			 Single Living Accommodation 100,000 
		
	
	There are a further 302 smaller commitments, some as little as 1,000, details of which are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Library Lending

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) videos, (b) DVDs and (c) CDs were lent by public libraries in (i) Dacorum and (ii) Hertfordshire in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: This information is not held centrally. However, the table shows the number of loans of sound recordings (encompassing music and talking books) and Videos and DVDs for Hertfordshire for the period 1997–98 to 2003–04. This information is drawn from the Public Library Statistics, published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. These are collected at library authority level and do not contain comparable details for the Dacorum borough area.
	
		
			   £ 
			  Sound recordings Videos/DVDs 
		
		
			 1997–98 922,117 436,906 
			 1998–99 688,364 393,930 
			 1999–2000 655,303 387,661 
			 2000–01 633,440 427,593 
			 2001–02 604,923 346,789 
			 2002–03 459,593 364,796 
			 2003–04 452,102 324,899

Private Art Projects

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Government funding has been directed towards private art projects in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not fund the arts directly, but through Arts Council England, who are responsible for distributing public money from Government. Arts Council England allocates grant-in-aid funding to their portfolio of regularly funded organisations.
	The following figures supplied by Arts Council England provide a breakdown of the information requested.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Arts Council England, London regularly funded organisation budget Havering regularly funded organisations allocation 
		
		
			 1998–99 13,604,000 — 
			 1999–2000 14,612,000 — 
			 2000–01 25,780,000 — 
			 2001–02 28,456,000 82,000 
			 2002–03 33,845,000 179,560 
			 2003–04(17) 133,780,000 258,605 
			 2004–05 145,798,000 285,000 
			 2005–06 152,343,000 325,000 
			 Total 548,218,000 1,130,165 
		
	
	(17) Due to restructuring, with effect from 1 April 2003, Arts Council England transferred most national office clients to their regional offices.
	There are no Arts Council England regularly funded organisations in Romford.

Fair Employment

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many complaints of discrimination in employment in Northern Ireland have been supported by the Equality Commission in each year since its inception, broken down by community background of complainant.

Angela Smith: I understand that the Chief Executive of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, Ms Evelyn Collins, has written to the hon. Gentleman in the following terms:
	"The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland supported the following new employment and non-employment complaints in each year since its inception:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1999–2000 440 
			 2000–01 654 
			 2001–02 805 
			 2002–03 150 
			 2003–04 87 
			 2004–05 90 
		
	
	The Equality Commission does not have complete information on the community background of complainants who have received its support."

Harbour Investment

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2005, Official Report, columns 91–2W, on harbour investment, what future plans the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has for improvement and development at Portavogie Harbour; how much funding has been allocated; and what the timescale for completion is.

Angela Smith: The Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority is the non-departmental public body that has responsibility for the improvement, management and maintenance of the three Northern Ireland fishery harbours at Portavogie, Kilkeel and Ardglass.
	There is an ongoing programme of development works at Portavogie Harbour approved by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and undertaken by the Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority.
	Future plans include some works that have already started and projects that are due to get underway in the near future, once tendering and other practical procedures are finalised. The ongoing programme comprises four main projects funded under the Building Sustainable Prosperity programme for:
	key wall repairs that are currently in progress and are expected to cost £547,600;
	upgrade of harbour security systems presently out to tender at an estimated total cost of £104,300;
	upgrade of the slipway that will cost £144,500 and on which work has just started; and
	a further £125,000 has been approved for re-surfacing of and upgrade to the Princess Anne road.
	All of the above projects are due to be completed within the next two years.
	There are also several future development projects being considered under the "Taskforce" initiative, which would total approximately £500,000.
	These comprise as follows:
	developing a net repair area; and
	working with Ards borough council and the Portavogie and District Development Group Ltd. to implement a number of other schemes in and around the harbour area and estate (including beach access/walkways, a recycling/fish waste facility, and the construction of business units).
	It is expected that works proceeding under these "Taskforce" proposals will be completed within a three-year period.

Translink

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much each education and library board in the Province has paid to Translink in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The education and library boards have incurred the following expenditure in the last five years in relation to schools services provided by Translink:
	
		
			   £ 
			  BELB NEELB SEELB SELB WELB Total 
		
		
			 2000–01 777,597 6,584,803 6,153,086 4,880,971 3,904,699 22,301,156 
			 2001–02 1,039,710 6,960,560 6,216,599 5,077,462 3,945,176 23,239,507 
			 2002–03 827,000 7,373,000 6,419,000 5,135,000 3,731,000 23,485,000 
			 2003–04 845,000 7,620,000 5,917,792 5,446,000 3,731,000 23,559,792 
			 2004–05 866,000 8,373,000 6,931,000 5,966,000 4,340,631 26,476,631

Careers Advice

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what arrangements are made to provide careers advice for those who leave higher education without completing their courses.

Bill Rammell: All Higher Education (HE) Careers Advisory Services, which are funded by institutions themselves, offer some level of information, advice and guidance (IAG) to students who are considering leaving their courses before completion. Institutions determine the level of provision to offer, taking account of funding and resource levels in their careers service, and also the specific circumstances of each discontinuing student.
	HE Careers Services work with other IAG services to ensure that students who are leaving their course are referred to the most appropriate source of help, including: Connexions for young people; the national "learndirect" telephone and on-line advice service; and the local "nextstep" information and advice service for adults. Other services such as counselling or financial advice are recommended if appropriate.
	Alongside this, the Higher Education Funding Council for England provides higher education institutions with substantial funding—£282 million for 2005–06—to help universities give more support to students who may be at risk of leaving their courses before completion.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 31 October 2005, Official Report, columns 815–17W, on education maintenance allowance, what representations she has received regarding the 45 per cent. of post-16 students who are not eligible to receive education maintenance allowance.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 7 November 2005
	From 1 April 2005, the Secretary of State delegated responsibility for Education maintenance allowance (EMA) operational policy to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). LSC took over responsibility for responding to EMA related correspondence in July. The total amount of correspondence received by the LSC specifically mentioning EMA in the period July to September totals 757 cases. This includes correspondence sent to Ministers and cases sent directly by members of the public to the LSC.
	A number of issues are encompassed within that figure of 757 which do not always relate to an individual's eligibility. The broad categories and breakdown of inquiries are listed in the following table (including additional figures for telephone contacts which cannot be classified).
	
		
			  July August September October Telephone Queries Total 
		
		
			 Income-related 49 36 262 142 15 504 
			 Age-related 8 3 23 25 4 63 
			 Pilot Area issues 7 3 1 2 0 13 
			 General queries 15 30 31 30 0 106 
			 General EMA Complaints 11 12 24 18 4 69 
			 Other — 3 5 17 0 25 
			  90 87 346 234 23 780 
		
	
	Those who are not eligible for receipt of EMA will largely fall into the categories of "Income-related", "Age-related" and "Pilot area issues".
	3,762 pieces of correspondence have been dealt with by the DfES Central Correspondence Unit relating to students who are not eligible for EMA during the period September 2004 to the end of October 2005—3,535 of these were from members of the public and 227 from Members of Parliament. The following table shows the types of correspondence as classified by my Department:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Income-related 2,339 
			 Age-related 1,437 
			 Bonus payments 58

Exam Standards

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to increase the rigour of GCSEs and A-levels.

Jacqui Smith: Our White Paper, "14–19 Education and Skills" sets out proposals to strengthen GCSEs and A-levels.
	We will restructure English and mathematics GCSEs to ensure that in future students cannot get a grade C or above without passing new functional skills units.
	At A-level we will introduce a new section in papers covering Advanced Extension Award type material and an Extended Project requiring a high degree of planning, preparation, research and autonomous working.

National Employer Training Programme

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of National Employer Training provision represents (a) provision which would have been provided previously at a fee to employers and (b) new provision which would not otherwise have been provided.

Phil Hope: Employer Training Pilots (ETP) were introduced in September 2002 to encourage employers to invest in skills and qualifications, particularly for low skilled trainees. The National Employer Training Programme (NETP) to be rolled-out from April 2006 will apply lessons learned from the Employer Training Pilots.
	NETP will give employers real choice over the training they offer their employees, and will respond directly to their business development needs, whether for basic or high level skills. Training will be delivered flexibly, including in the workplace. The Government will fully fund the training of employees undertaking basic skills and first full Level 2 qualifications. Therefore most training up to and including Level 2 will be free to employers and employees.
	By September 2005, over 25,000 employers had participated in ETP. A report by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) published in March 2005, "Platform for Progression: Employer Training Pilots Year 2 Evaluation Report", found that half of the employers taking part in ETP had a previous involvement with either a business support agency, a training provider, or a national training initiative. One-third had been involved with at least one agency, provider or initiative. The remaining 14 per cent. had no previous involvement and could therefore be classified as harder-to-reach employers.
	The IES evaluation found that ETP employers have a relatively positive approach to training compared with average employers. Most adopt a strategic approach to training, express positive attitudes, and say that they provided at least some training to low-skilled employees.

Non-essential Learning

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance she has issued to Learning and Skills Councils on the definition of non-essential learning; and what definition of this term her Department uses.

Bill Rammell: I have issued no guidance of this type. I do not recognise the term non-essential learning. I wrote to hon. and right hon. Members on 21 October outlining my Department's priorities for further education and training for the period 2006–08. More detailed information is provided in the Learning and Skills Council's publication "Priorities for Success—Funding for Learning and Skills". This document is available on the LSC's website: www.lsc.gov.uk.

School Expansions

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether there is a limit to the size to which a successful school can expand under the proposals in the White Paper: "Higher Standards, Better Education for All".

Jacqui Smith: There is no maximum size to which a successful school may expand under the proposals in the White Paper. This is a matter for local determination. Both large and small schools may be successful. There are a range of strategies for the internal organisation of schools, and schools may spread their expertise by federation and collaboration as well as expansion.

School Expansions

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what evidence she has collated on the effects on schools choosing whether to apply to expand the powers of local education authorities to restrict and refuse such applications.

Jacqui Smith: All maintained schools may publish their own proposals to expand, and local authorities may also publish proposals for the expansion of community and foundation schools. Local authorities may decide their own proposals if there are no objections. Proposals are otherwise decided by the local School Organisation Committee or, where the Committee cannot agree unanimously, by the Schools Adjudicator. Statutory guidance to the decision-makers says that there should be a presumption in favour of approval of proposals to expand by successful and popular schools, and we have made capital available to support the expansion of such schools.
	Local authorities may object to proposals by a governing body to expand their school, as may governing bodies to proposals by the authority if they do not agree. Four proposals by schools to expand have been rejected since the presumption in favour was introduced in June 2003.

School Funding

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the (a) mean, (b) upper decile and (c) lower decile funding were for each (i) primary and (ii) secondary pupil in each local education authority school (A) in the last year for which information is available and (B) in 2000.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 7 November 2005
	The information requested is contained within the following table:
	
		
			  Number of schools included in analysis(21)(22) Primary school budget share (plus grants)£ per pupil 
			  Primary Secondary Lower decile(23) Mean(24) Upper decile(23) 
			 Local authority name 2000–01 2005–06 2000–01 2005–06 2000–01 2005–06 2000–01 2005–06 2000–01 2005–06 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 49 49 8 9 2,020 2,930 2,160 3,180 2,360 3,560 
			 Barnet 90 89 21 19 1,970 2,780 2,230 3,290 2,660 4,230 
			 Barnsley 87 79 14 14 1,610 2,620 1,740 2,910 2,050 3,350 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 69 62 13 13 1,650 2,320 1,950 2,620 2,810 3,380 
			 Bedfordshire 147 146 57 57 1,570 2,380 1,780 2,720 2,710 3,960 
			 Bexley 63 59 16 16 1,650 2,460 1,830 2,760 2,160 3,510 
			 Birmingham 328 305 77 76 1,930 2,880 2,180 3,310 2,600 4,110 
			 Blackburn and Darwen 59 57 9 9 1,810 2,650 2,060 3,000 2,430 3,480 
			 Blackpool 33 30 8 8 1,650 2,530 1,790 2,890 2,020 3,370 
			 Bolton 105 99 16 16 1,740 2,450 1,890 2,720 2,150 3,150 
			 Bournemouth 28 27 9 10 1,640 2,310 1,840 2,570 2,200 3,000 
			 Bracknell Forest 33 29 6 6 1,710 2,590 1,830 2,730 2,040 3,000 
			 Bradford 149 159 25 28 1,680 2,690 1,800 3,080 2,020 3,700 
			 Brent 60 61 13 13 2,160 3,040 2,370 3,400 2,730 4,030 
			 Brighton and Hove 58 56 10 9 1,660 2,370 1,790 2,660 2,090 3,260 
			 Bromley 78 77 17 18 1,700 2,310 1,940 2,700 2,850 3,820 
			 Buckinghamshire 193 185 34 34 1,510 2,440 1,740 2,820 2,600 4,350 
			 Bury 69 63 14 14 1,590 2,470 1,760 2,710 2,110 3,080 
			 Calderdale 89 85 15 15 1,690 2,540 1,870 2,840 2,270 3,580 
			 Cambridgeshire 207 202 31 31 1,560 2,420 1,780 2,700 2,320 3,360 
			 Camden 42 41 10 9 2,340 3,460 2,630 3,970 2,900 4,500 
			 Cheshire 290 279 43 44 1,610 2,320 1,830 2,690 2,420 3,540 
			 City of Bristol 119 118 20 17 1,710 2,500 2,000 2,940 2,440 3,860 
			 City of Kingston-Upon-Hull 80 77 16 15 1,810 2,650 2,020 3,010 2,400 3,540 
			 City of London(22) 1 1 0 0 4,180 5,080 4,180 5,080 4,180 5,080 
			 Cornwall 245 237 31 31 1,610 2,560 1,860 2,880 2,810 4,360 
			 Coventry 89 84 19 19 1,680 2,600 1,840 2,990 2,130 3,910 
			 Croydon 94 90 21 21 1,940 2,670 2,170 3,060 2,500 3,910 
			 Cumbria 294 281 42 42 1,780 2,570 2,000 2,930 2,780 4,020 
			 Darlington 32 30 7 7 1,580 2,380 1,710 2,750 2,000 3,280 
			 Derby 79 78 14 13 1,470 2,520 1,760 3,040 2,280 3,860 
			 Derbyshire 362 358 47 47 1,460 2,350 1,670 2,720 2,490 3,980 
			 Devon 322 313 37 37 1,570 2,550 1,810 2,840 2,680 4,060 
			 Doncaster 113 103 17 16 1,760 2,580 1,880 2,800 2,100 3,360 
			 Dorset 138 138 37 34 1,540 2,300 1,780 2,760 2,380 3,850 
			 Dudley 82 82 22 22 1,760 2,560 1,910 2,880 2,210 3,400 
			 Durham 247 241 36 36 1,640 2,520 1,860 2,870 2,510 3,980 
			 Ealing 65 64 13 12 2,070 2,980 2,250 3,350 2,680 4,130 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 135 132 18 18 1,600 2,450 1,770 2,820 2,500 4,000 
			 East Sussex 155 156 26 27 1,620 2,410 1,800 2,780 2,370 3,840 
			 Enfield 66 67 16 17 1,930 2,870 2,130 3,290 2,370 3,740 
			 Essex 475 473 79 80 1,710 2,490 1,900 2,820 2,430 3,690 
			 Gateshead 74 75 10 10 1,760 2,530 1,930 2,840 2,270 3,520 
			 Gloucestershire 248 248 42 42 1,540 2,450 1,730 2,720 2,440 3,730 
			 Greenwich 69 64 14 13 2,180 3,060 2,490 3,490 2,890 3,980 
			 Hackney 59 53 10 9 2,560 3,810 2,810 4,120 3,210 4,610 
			 Halton 53 52 9 8 1,730 2,510 2,040 3,090 2,500 4,160 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 37 35 9 9 2,280 3,360 2,580 3,850 3,030 4,500 
			 Hampshire 438 432 71 71 1,690 2,470 1,880 2,840 2,430 3,690 
			 Haringey 70 63 11 10 2,100 3,170 2,260 3,530 2,470 3,880 
			 Harrow 56 54 10 10 1,960 2,880 2,210 3,310 2,620 3,950 
			 Hartlepool 30 30 6 6 1,640 2,570 1,820 2,950 2,460 3,930 
			 Havering 68 65 18 18 1,840 2,640 2,000 2,960 2,210 3,410 
			 Herefordshire 85 83 14 14 1,660 2,460 1,880 2,750 2,710 3,540 
			 Hertfordshire 426 408 85 82 1,710 2,440 1,910 2,780 2,320 3,540 
			 Hillingdon 67 66 17 15 1,900 2,920 2,080 3,250 2,430 3,700 
			 Hounslow 64 60 14 14 1,970 2,860 2,280 3,280 2,760 3,810 
			 Isle of Wight 46 46 21 21 1,920 2,670 2,080 2,950 2,660 3,750 
			 Isles of Scilly(22) 4 1 1 0 2,980 6,270 3,480 6,270 10,850 6,270 
			 Islington 49 45 9 9 2,190 3,480 2,420 3,900 2,650 4,450 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 26 26 4 4 2,880 3,850 3,110 4,240 3,540 4,780 
			 Kent 475 470 105 103 1,670 2,400 1,850 2,730 2,390 3,550 
			 Kingston upon Thames 37 37 10 10 1,850 2,800 2,000 3,080 2,330 3,370 
			 Kirklees 152 150 32 32 1,660 2,630 1,970 3,100 2,640 4,170 
			 Knowsley 60 59 11 11 1,740 2,490 1,860 2,870 2,040 3,560 
			 Lambeth 62 59 10 10 2,400 3,950 2,610 4,310 2,940 4,790 
			 Lancashire 502 486 89 88 1,600 2,500 1,840 2,900 2,530 4,010 
			 Leeds 244 222 43 40 1,760 2,660 1,960 3,050 2,370 3,800 
			 Leicester 87 84 16 16 1,700 2,420 1,900 2,800 2,130 3,440 
			 Leicestershire 226 226 54 54 1,590 2,390 1,730 2,670 2,450 3,880 
			 Lewisham 70 69 13 12 2,400 3,500 2,620 3,790 2,890 4,220 
			 Lincolnshire 289 287 63 63 1,630 2,270 1,820 2,540 2,590 3,460 
			 Liverpool 157 135 33 31 1,810 2,610 2,080 3,200 2,500 4,270 
			 Luton 57 57 12 12 1,780 2,650 1,990 3,080 2,260 3,510 
			 Manchester 150 134 25 22 1,800 2,640 1,950 2,960 2,150 3,430 
			 Medway 89 84 20 19 1,770 2,630 2,010 3,010 2,550 3,800 
			 Merton 49 43 11 8 2,020 2,910 2,210 3,200 2,620 3,740 
			 Middlesbrough 47 42 11 6 1,660 2,430 1,930 3,000 2,160 3,650 
			 Milton Keynes 82 89 11 10 1,620 2,480 1,790 2,820 2,560 3,840 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 76 72 21 14 1,770 2,350 2,050 2,830 2,480 3,740 
			 Newham 64 66 14 15 1,980 3,440 2,170 3,760 2,580 4,530 
			 Norfolk 385 385 52 52 1,700 2,440 1,940 2,840 2,800 4,250 
			 North East Lincolnshire 60 59 12 12 1,730 2,530 1,860 2,790 2,050 3,260 
			 North Lincolnshire 69 67 14 14 1,670 2,270 1,860 2,600 2,620 3,560 
			 North Somerset 65 65 10 10 1,580 2,380 1,780 2,710 2,280 3,610 
			 North Tyneside 56 56 20 15 1,590 2,450 1,750 2,710 2,030 3,350 
			 North Yorkshire 328 329 47 47 1,580 2,450 1,810 2,810 3,040 4,680 
			 Northamptonshire 270 265 59 39 1,730 2,370 1,920 2,700 2,370 3,590 
			 Northumberland 142 139 59 59 1,610 2,540 1,880 2,980 3,260 4,980 
			 Nottingham City 101 89 20 17 1,890 2,770 2,270 3,260 3,250 4,240 
			 Nottinghamshire 314 300 58 47 1,500 2,310 1,650 2,630 2,190 3,570 
			 Oldham 101 94 15 15 1,660 2,390 1,920 2,710 2,300 3,120 
			 Oxfordshire 234 233 45 34 1,700 2,490 1,880 2,780 2,420 3,550 
			 Peterborough 57 58 13 13 1,720 2,580 2,010 2,950 2,400 3,610 
			 Plymouth 78 74 18 17 1,680 2,480 1,880 2,780 2,270 3,390 
			 Poole 30 29 9 9 1,750 2,400 1,860 2,600 2,150 3,120 
			 Portsmouth 53 53 10 10 1,900 2,660 2,060 3,030 2,450 3,720 
			 Reading 38 37 8 7 1,650 2,470 1,830 2,850 2,090 3,270 
			 Redbridge 52 51 16 17 1,740 2,670 1,870 2,930 2,040 3,220 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 51 45 13 11 1,690 2,410 1,940 2,860 2,440 4,020 
			 Richmond upon Thames 39 41 8 8 1,880 2,760 2,050 3,100 2,370 3,840 
			 Rochdale 76 72 14 14 1,610 2,650 1,780 3,040 2,170 3,610 
			 Rotherham 110 104 17 16 1,650 2,490 1,850 2,800 2,150 3,370 
			 Rutland 18 17 3 3 1,810 2,610 2,050 3,040 2,400 4,460 
			 Salford 84 83 15 14 1,640 2,340 1,840 2,800 2,160 3,400 
			 Sandwell 102 98 20 18 1,740 2,580 1,960 2,920 2,340 3,490 
			 Sefton 90 82 22 20 1,740 2,500 1,980 2,840 2,590 3,540 
			 Sheffield 148 140 27 27 1,620 2,340 1,890 2,770 2,420 3,540 
			 Shropshire 144 143 22 22 1,520 2,410 1,730 2,670 2,250 3,540 
			 Slough 31 27 11 11 1,970 2,720 2,230 3,010 2,560 3,350 
			 Solihull 68 67 13 13 1,620 2,300 1,820 2,630 2,120 3,120 
			 Somerset 224 224 39 39 1,660 2,430 1,870 2,800 2,510 4,100 
			 South Gloucestershire 97 96 14 14 1,560 2,310 1,740 2,630 2,240 3,530 
			 South Tyneside 57 53 11 10 1,720 2,530 1,900 2,950 2,150 4,300 
			 Southampton 67 63 14 14 1,930 2,550 2,150 2,950 2,600 3,690 
			 Southend 43 35 12 12 1,850 2,450 2,020 2,830 2,330 3,350 
			 Southwark 71 72 12 12 2,470 3,670 2,660 4,080 2,870 4,610 
			 St. Helens 60 56 12 11 1,680 2,470 1,840 2,740 2,060 3,080 
			 Staffordshire 313 304 69 68 1,600 2,420 1,740 2,680 2,200 3,500 
			 Stockport 103 96 14 14 1,630 2,400 1,820 2,730 2,140 3,360 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 64 62 13 14 1,690 2,550 1,930 2,900 2,410 3,550 
			 Stoke on Trent 88 70 17 17 1,630 2,490 1,750 2,770 2,000 3,090 
			 Suffolk 255 252 78 78 1,740 2,400 1,960 2,780 2,920 4,020 
			 Sunderland 96 84 17 18 1,780 2,560 2,040 2,870 2,540 3,420 
			 Surrey 327 317 52 53 1,710 2,470 1,900 2,860 2,430 3,860 
			 Sutton 43 41 14 14 1,860 2,590 2,050 2,890 2,290 3,510 
			 Swindon 70 67 11 10 1,580 2,300 1,760 2,590 2,190 3,040 
			 Tameside 79 76 18 18 1,660 2,460 1,830 2,750 2,300 3,460 
			 Telford and Wrekin 66 58 13 13 1,540 2,320 1,750 2,690 2,090 3,340 
			 Thurrock 47 45 10 10 1,780 2,610 1,920 2,870 2,120 3,300 
			 Torbay 33 31 8 8 1,650 2,470 1,800 2,720 2,150 3,550 
			 Tower Hamlets 73 69 15 15 2,750 4,090 3,010 4,400 3,320 4,870 
			 Trafford 123 73 31 18 1,590 2,270 1,800 2,570 2,300 3,520 
			 Wakefield 130 123 18 18 1,530 2,640 1,670 2,940 1,940 3,650 
			 Walsall 94 93 20 19 1,700 2,580 1,920 2,930 2,260 3,600 
			 Waltham Forest 65 58 16 17 2,090 3,000 2,270 3,290 2,520 3,710 
			 Wandsworth 56 56 9 10 2,140 3,210 2,350 3,630 2,610 4,240 
			 Warrington 74 71 12 12 1,620 2,380 1,790 2,650 2,200 3,360 
			 Warwickshire 198 195 37 37 1,660 2,350 1,860 2,670 2,330 3,360 
			 West Berkshire 68 64 10 10 1,680 2,570 1,950 2,900 2,850 4,140 
			 West Sussex 248 242 39 40 1,710 2,450 1,900 2,740 2,700 3,660 
			 Westminster 40 40 8 8 2,490 3,530 2,760 4,150 3,050 4,720 
			 Wigan 112 106 21 21 1,650 2,480 1,840 2,780 2,170 3,560 
			 Wiltshire 217 215 33 32 1,620 2,350 1,810 2,620 2,540 3,440 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 46 46 14 13 1,760 2,610 2,050 2,960 2,700 3,800 
			 Wirral 101 101 23 22 1,560 2,330 1,770 2,710 2,130 3,540 
			 Wokingham 54 52 9 9 1,640 2,490 1,800 2,790 2,170 3,590 
			 Wolverhampton 89 80 18 18 1,710 2,530 1,920 2,960 2,330 3,660 
			 Worcestershire 197 190 61 57 1,580 2,410 1,790 2,750 2,390 3,610 
			 York 58 54 11 11 1,640 2,350 1,820 2,670 2,210 3,270 
		
	
	
		
			  Secondary school budget share (plus grants) £ per pupil 
			  Lower decile(23) Mean(24) Upper decile(23) 
			 Local authority name 2000–01 2005–06 2000–01 2005–06 2000–01 2005–06 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 2,800 4,190 2,880 4,430 2,990 5,210 
			 Barnet 2,700 3,820 2,880 4,200 3,030 4,600 
			 Barnsley 2,300 3,370 2,440 3,750 2,620 4,280 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 2,450 3,100 2,540 3,280 2,860 3,800 
			 Bedfordshire 1,880 2,610 2,320 3,280 2,760 3,760 
			 Bexley 2,490 3,470 2,560 3,780 2,640 4,190 
			 Birmingham 2,620 3,840 2,890 4,290 3,390 5,210 
			 Blackburn and Darwen 2,440 3,460 2,640 3,630 2,880 3,880 
			 Blackpool 2,240 3,470 2,380 3,610 2,630 3,890 
			 Bolton 2,430 3,420 2,560 3,670 2,750 4,100 
			 Bournemouth 2,360 3,230 2,470 3,460 2,600 4,070 
			 Bracknell Forest 2,530 3,440 2,590 3,650 2,740 4,170 
			 Bradford 2,290 3,610 2,470 3,860 2,720 4,430 
			 Brent 3,040 4,370 3,170 4,700 3,310 5,300 
			 Brighton and Hove 2,460 3,360 2,580 3,580 2,870 4,010 
			 Bromley 2,520 3,610 2,630 3,770 2,830 4,020 
			 Buckinghamshire 2,120 3,220 2,260 3,400 2,360 3,640 
			 Bury 2,290 3,290 2,500 3,560 2,700 3,940 
			 Calderdale 2,370 3,450 2,450 3,680 2,750 4,360 
			 Cambridgeshire 2,200 2,920 2,370 3,270 2,710 3,900 
			 Camden 3,190 4,780 3,510 5,090 3,850 5,620 
			 Cheshire 2,300 3,050 2,460 3,290 2,970 3,840 
			 City of Bristol 2,580 3,680 2,840 4,150 3,330 4,720 
			 City of Kingston-Upon-Hull 2,410 3,410 2,550 3,750 2,850 4,440 
			 City of London(22) — — — — — — 
			 Cornwall 2,230 3,440 2,350 3,590 2,440 3,790 
			 Coventry 2,460 3,510 2,560 3,770 2,790 4,310 
			 Croydon 2,580 3,390 2,790 3,860 3,120 4,510 
			 Cumbria 2,450 3,420 2,600 3,640 3,080 4,410 
			 Darlington 2,410 3,580 2,480 3,730 2,560 3,960 
			 Derby 2,350 3,470 2,590 3,790 3,330 4,640 
			 Derbyshire 2,270 3,290 2,450 3,560 2,790 4,160 
			 Devon 2,310 3,230 2,430 3,380 2,540 3,490 
			 Doncaster 2,530 3,640 2,670 3,870 2,780 4,080 
			 Dorset 1,780 2,560 2,300 3,400 2,640 3,850 
			 Dudley 2,330 3,330 2,490 3,590 2,770 4,040 
			 Durham 2,320 3,310 2,490 3,570 2,770 4,120 
			 Ealing 2,750 4,250 2,900 4,510 3,220 4,960 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 2,280 3,280 2,350 3,430 2,440 3,660 
			 East Sussex 2,440 3,330 2,610 3,530 2,720 3,800 
			 Enfield 2,710 3,990 2,850 4,240 3,020 4,590 
			 Essex 2,500 3,450 2,610 3,690 2,780 4,040 
			 Gateshead 2,350 3,530 2,450 3,850 2,710 4,450 
			 Gloucestershire 2,230 3,390 2,330 3,590 2,460 3,900 
			 Greenwich 3,020 4,240 3,320 4,610 3,640 4,960 
			 Hackney 3,400 5,000 3,610 5,140 3,810 5,400 
			 Halton 2,500 3,820 2,730 4,140 3,570 4,780 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 2,990 4,010 3,410 4,890 3,890 5,700 
			 Hampshire 2,360 3,340 2,490 3,540 2,810 3,970 
			 Haringey 2,920 4,420 3,090 4,630 3,320 4,980 
			 Harrow 2,780 3,990 2,920 4,380 3,210 4,770 
			 Hartlepool 2,540 3,830 2,620 3,990 2,710 4,200 
			 Havering 2,720 3,880 2,840 4,170 3,130 4,860 
			 Herefordshire 2,260 3,210 2,400 3,430 2,700 3,710 
			 Hertfordshire 2,430 3,400 2,550 3,670 2,800 4,010 
			 Hillingdon 2,780 3,960 2,960 4,210 4,030 4,540 
			 Hounslow 2,620 3,660 2,910 3,960 3,170 4,230 
			 Isle of Wight 1,970 2,840 2,410 3,390 2,740 3,750 
			 Isles of Scilly(22) 5,370 — 5,370 — 5,370 — 
			 Islington 3,100 4,770 3,320 5,050 3,540 5,230 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 3,810 5,390 3,950 5,570 4,030 5,790 
			 Kent 2,410 3,290 2,520 3,530 2,780 4,030 
			 Kingston upon Thames 2,550 3,880 2,620 4,010 2,760 4,270 
			 Kirklees 2,030 3,000 2,550 3,720 2,970 4,930 
			 Knowsley 2,790 3,600 2,860 3,770 2,920 4,070 
			 Lambeth 3,410 4,870 3,680 5,190 3,910 5,600 
			 Lancashire 2,230 3,130 2,500 3,480 2,890 3,900 
			 Leeds 2,450 3,460 2,700 3,770 3,340 4,410 
			 Leicester 2,300 3,410 2,430 3,760 2,590 4,200 
			 Leicestershire 2,030 2,850 2,360 3,360 2,700 3,810 
			 Lewisham 3,390 4,580 3,510 4,800 3,660 5,270 
			 Lincolnshire 2,430 3,240 2,540 3,410 2,800 3,700 
			 Liverpool 2,690 3,820 2,830 4,110 3,090 4,690 
			 Luton 2,560 3,750 2,730 3,950 2,960 4,150 
			 Manchester 2,520 3,770 2,690 3,990 2,930 4,260 
			 Medway 2,520 3,640 2,610 3,840 2,880 4,210 
			 Merton 2,120 3,730 2,680 4,220 3,190 5,080 
			 Middlesbrough 2,390 3,760 2,810 4,170 3,450 5,020 
			 Milton Keynes 2,560 3,430 2,720 3,680 2,820 3,960 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 1,930 3,360 2,540 3,820 2,870 4,090 
			 Newham 3,020 4,580 3,220 4,800 3,480 5,130 
			 Norfolk 2,420 3,250 2,600 3,480 2,920 3,880 
			 North East Lincolnshire 2,420 3,340 2,590 3,480 2,900 4,100 
			 North Lincolnshire 2,270 3,050 2,460 3,330 2,820 3,890 
			 North Somerset 2,360 3,290 2,410 3,470 2,480 3,870 
			 North Tyneside 1,840 2,820 2,440 3,780 2,790 4,260 
			 North Yorkshire 2,380 3,160 2,560 3,430 2,920 3,890 
			 Northamptonshire 2,120 3,340 2,570 3,610 2,820 3,850 
			 Northumberland 1,770 2,620 2,190 3,410 2,710 4,100 
			 Nottingham City 2,590 3,890 2,850 4,190 3,410 4,880 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,200 3,310 2,380 3,500 2,660 3,740 
			 Oldham 2,550 3,610 2,710 3,910 3,140 4,520 
			 Oxfordshire 2,080 3,430 2,440 3,620 2,720 3,830 
			 Peterborough 2,500 3,700 2,760 4,000 3,240 4,690 
			 Plymouth 2,500 3,490 2,580 3,690 2,720 3,930 
			 Poole 2,300 3,060 2,570 3,610 2,960 4,290 
			 Portsmouth 2,550 3,540 2,640 3,810 2,800 4,320 
			 Reading 2,570 3,860 2,690 4,070 2,950 4,780 
			 Redbridge 2,680 3,710 2,760 3,940 2,890 4,150 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 2,390 3,410 2,660 3,770 3,200 4,440 
			 Richmond upon Thames 2,510 3,930 2,610 4,110 3,100 4,420 
			 Rochdale 2,410 3,770 2,560 4,040 2,820 4,480 
			 Rotherham 2,460 3,570 2,590 3,810 2,770 4,350 
			 Rutland 2,560 3,470 2,710 3,730 2,880 4,110 
			 Salford 2,330 3,280 2,450 3,510 2,610 3,810 
			 Sandwell 2,370 3,600 2,580 3,850 2,940 4,180 
			 Sefton 2,520 3,570 2,690 3,800 3,150 4,330 
			 Sheffield 2,240 3,170 2,450 3,520 2,740 3,960 
			 Shropshire 2,360 3,260 2,480 3,470 2,670 3,760 
			 Slough 2,700 4,110 2,930 4,270 3,240 4,570 
			 Solihull 2,310 3,110 2,390 3,360 2,490 3,710 
			 Somerset 2,070 3,040 2,420 3,350 2,770 3,830 
			 South Gloucestershire 2,370 3,410 2,440 3,540 2,490 3,710 
			 South Tyneside 2,390 3,420 2,460 3,790 2,620 5,010 
			 Southampton 2,580 3,450 2,710 3,810 2,940 4,420 
			 Southend 2,750 3,610 2,840 3,850 2,950 4,090 
			 Southwark 3,290 5,020 3,510 5,170 3,620 5,460 
			 St. Helens 2,480 3,590 2,610 3,850 2,930 4,130 
			 Staffordshire 1,880 2,850 2,310 3,450 2,550 3,900 
			 Stockport 2,390 3,120 2,440 3,380 2,530 3,700 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 2,260 3,400 2,490 3,870 2,820 4,650 
			 Stoke on Trent 2,310 3,530 2,440 3,720 2,670 4,010 
			 Suffolk 2,040 2,800 2,460 3,440 2,790 3,820 
			 Sunderland 2,410 3,470 2,510 3,710 2,670 4,000 
			 Surrey 2,250 3,220 2,370 3,410 2,610 3,720 
			 Sutton 2,450 3,630 2,620 3,890 2,830 4,340 
			 Swindon 2,250 3,090 2,430 3,230 2,500 3,380 
			 Tameside 2,300 3,320 2,450 3,620 2,690 4,090 
			 Telford and Wrekin 2,350 3,300 2,610 3,660 3,140 4,100 
			 Thurrock 2,450 3,310 2,640 3,660 2,900 4,190 
			 Torbay 2,360 3,230 2,520 3,560 2,640 3,790 
			 Tower Hamlets 3,610 5,260 3,830 5,510 4,070 5,870 
			 Trafford 2,400 3,220 2,550 3,500 2,820 4,260 
			 Wakefield 2,190 3,150 2,260 3,310 2,340 3,500 
			 Walsall 2,330 3,490 2,540 3,700 2,860 4,040 
			 Waltham Forest 2,900 4,100 3,150 4,500 3,600 5,020 
			 Wandsworth 3,010 4,250 3,100 4,470 3,250 5,020 
			 Warrington 2,350 3,370 2,490 3,580 2,660 3,900 
			 Warwickshire 2,300 3,020 2,450 3,290 2,690 3,720 
			 West Berkshire 2,430 3,620 2,500 3,740 2,640 3,850 
			 West Sussex 2,310 3,300 2,520 3,560 2,750 4,030 
			 Westminster 3,210 4,860 3,590 5,110 3,860 5,480 
			 Wigan 2,430 3,460 2,580 3,690 2,740 4,090 
			 Wiltshire 2,250 3,210 2,400 3,340 2,670 3,850 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 2,040 3,260 2,550 3,780 3,070 4,130 
			 Wirral 2,470 3,540 2,570 3,690 2,770 3,910 
			 Wokingham 2,400 3,370 2,470 3,530 2,570 3,710 
			 Wolverhampton 2,550 3,720 2,750 4,020 3,200 4,690 
			 Worcestershire 1,750 2,690 2,250 3,340 2,590 3,840 
			 York 2,370 3,300 2,520 3,560 2,710 4,090 
		
	
	(21) Only schools open for the whole of the financial year are included in the analysis. The number of schools in each authority used in the calculation of the mean and deciles is also provided as each authority has varying numbers of primary and secondary schools which should be borne in mind when interpreting these deciles—as a decile for an authority with very few schools can be somewhat meaningless.
	(22) City of London local authority have one primary school and zero secondary schools. On the 1 April 2002 Isles of Scilly amalgamated all their maintained primary and secondary schools into one school which is treated as a primary school for the purposes of Section 52.
	(23) The lower decile budget share (plus grants) per pupil is calculated such that 10 per cent. of schools within that authority have per pupil figures below this amount. Similarly, the upper decile amount has 90 per cent. of schools within the authority receiving less than figure.
	(24) The mean amount for an authority is calculated as the sum of all that authority's primary or secondary schools budget share plus grants divided by the total number of pupils at the primary or secondary schools within that authority.
	Notes:
	1. Budget share (plus grants) is the combination of the schools individual budget share plus any devolved standards fund and Excellence in Cities (EiC) grants allocated to the school. In 2005–06 the Schools Standards Grant is also included and this contributed £856 million to the money allocated to primary and secondary schools in England.
	2. The amount of money delegated to schools depends very much on the individual local authorities own policy for funding their schools. Different authority's retain varying amounts of funding centrally to spend on behalf of their schools while others chose to give schools more autonomy over how they spend their money by devolving more funding to the individual school.
	3. The pupil numbers used to calculate the per pupil amounts are as reported by the local authority on their section 52 budget statement comprising the full time equivalent number pupils registered at the school used for the initial determination of the school's budget share under the local authority's allocation formula.
	4. Figures are taken from section 52 budget 2005–06 as reported by LEAs and rounded to the nearest 10.

Science

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students have gained (a) an A-Level, (b) an AS Level and (c) a GCSE in (i) biology or human biology, (ii) chemistry and (iii) physics in each year since 1997, broken down by grade; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: pursuant to the reply, 2 November 2005, Official Report, c. 1205–05
	There was an error with the rounding in the A-Level table.
	
		(a) A level examination results of 16 to 18-year–old(28) students by grade Thousand
		
			  A B C D E Other(30) A-E passes Total(33) 
		
		
			 Biological sciences
			 1997 7.02 9.35 9.17 8.5 7.01 6.55 41.05 47.60 
			 1998 7.93 9.57 9.46 8.67 7.08 6.18 42.71 48.90 
			 1999 8.21 9.07 9.3 8.44 6.6 5.57 41.62 47.19 
			 2000 8.19 9.16 9.19 8.17 6.44 5.04 41.15 46.19 
			 2001 8.32 8.95 8.87 7.59 6.11 4.75 39.85 44.59 
			 2002 9.66 8.88 8.99 8.18 6.17 3.53 41.87 45.41 
			 2003 9.48 9.15 8.96 7.68 5.93 2.71 41.2 43.9 
			 2004 9.96 9.48 9.19 7.69 5.58 2.34 41.9 44.24 
			 2005(29) 10.52 9.98 9.45 7.93 5.7 2.31 43.57 45.88 
			 Chemistry 
			 1997 7.78 7.73 6.69 5.39 4.34 4.50 31.93 36.43 
			 1998 8.77 7.78 6.94 5.48 4.10 4.04 33.07 37.10 
			 1999 8.88 7.74 6.76 5.34 3.76 3.36 32.48 35.83 
			 2000 9.03 7.82 6.58 5.19 3.52 3.15 32.14 35.29 
			 2001 8.98 7.43 6.30 4.77 3.52 2.87 31.01 33.87 
			 2002 9.13 7.5 6.20 4.71 3.17 1.61 30.71 32.32 
			 2003 9.06 7.52 5.89 4.42 2.95 1.23 29.83 31.07 
			 2004 9.76 7.85 6.13 4.43 2.91 1.06 31.07 32.13 
			 2005(29) 9.9 8.30 6.39 4.64 2.92 1.16 32.15 33.31 
			 Physics 
			 1997 6.21 6.21 5.25 4.5 3.28 3.33 25.45 28.78 
			 1998 6.80 6.15 5.54 4.61 3.37 3.21 26.46 29.67 
			 1999 7.21 5.93 5.55 4.55 3.35 2.96 26.59 29.55 
			 2000 7.1 5.61 5.17 4.27 3.19 2.84 25.35 28.19 
			 2001 7.04 5.61 5.17 4.13 3.23 2.86 25.17 28.03 
			 2002 7.49 5.69 5.16 4.49 3.26 1.77 26.09 27.86 
			 2003 7.21 5.51 4.87 4.19 3.11 1.39 24.89 26.28 
			 2004 7.1 5.12 4.71 3.78 2.72 1.18 23.43 24.61 
			 2005(29) 6.92 5.15 4.48 3.75 2.72 1.17 23.01 24.18 
		
	
	
		(b) AS level examination results of 16 to 18-year-old(28) students by grade Thousand
		
			  A B C D E Other(30) A-E passes Total(33) 
		
		
			 Biological sciences
			 2001 9.0 8.5 9.1 8.7 7.1 8.5 42.4 50.9 
			 2002 9.3 8.3 8.9 8.7 7.8 10.1 42.9 53.0 
			 2003 8.5 8.2 9.0 9.3 9.1 11.4 44.1 55.4 
			 2004 8.4 8.7 9.3 9.6 9.0 11.2 45.0 56.2 
			 2005(29) 8.2 8.8 9.8 9.6 9.2 11.3 45.7 56.9 
			 Chemistry 
			 2001 7.7 6.7 6.3 5.3 3.9 4.8 30.0 34.8 
			 2002 7.4 6.3 6.3 5.8 4.8 5.5 30.6 36.1 
			 2003 7.4 6.5 6.5 6.2 5.2 6.0 31.9 37.9 
			 2004 7.2 6.6 6.7 6.3 5.4 6.5 32.1 38.6 
			 2005(29) 7.3 7.1 7.0 6.4 5.6 6.7 33.4 40.1 
			 Physics 
			 2001 6.7 5.4 5.4 4.6 3.6 4.5 25.7 30.1 
			 2002 6.6 5.3 5.3 4.7 4.0 5.4 25.9 31.2 
			 2003 6.1 4.9 5.0 4.6 4.3 5.4 25.0 30.4 
			 2004 5.9 4.8 5.0 4.7 4.1 5.4 24.5 29.9 
			 2005(29) 5.6 4.8 4.9 4.6 4.0 5.2 23.9 29.2 
		
	
	
		(c) GCSE examination results of 15-year–old(28) pupils by grade Thousand
		
			  A* A B C D E F G U(31) X(32) Total(33) 
		
		
			 Biological sciences   
			 1997 4.4 9.8 11.3 6.7 2.4 1.1 0.4 0.1 0.2 0.1 36.6 
			 1998 4.7 10.6 10.6 7.6 2.8 1.0 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.1 37.9 
			 1999 5.7 10.4 11.0 7.5 2.8 0.9 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.0 38.8 
			 2000 5.7 10.9 10.8 7.8 2.8 0.8 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.0 39.4 
			 2001 6.7 10.8 11.0 7.9 2.8 0.8 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.0 40.5 
			 2002 6.8 11.2 11.2 7.5 2.6 0.7 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.1 40.6 
			 2003 7.2 11.8 11.7 8.3 3.0 0.9 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.1 43.6 
			 2004 8.0 12.7 11.5 8.1 2.9 0.8 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.0 44.8 
			 2005(29) 8.5 13.5 12.0 8.6 3.1 0.8 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.0 47.5 
			 Chemistry
			 1997 5.5 8.2 10.5 7.3 2.2 0.9 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.1 35.1 
			 1998 5.4 10.2 10.1 7.1 2.4 0.8 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.0 36.6 
			 1999 6.3 10.2 9.9 7.3 2.7 0.8 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.0 37.7 
			 2000 6.4 10.3 9.8 7.4 2.8 0.7 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.0 37.7 
			 2001 6.6 10.8 9.8 7.6 2.8 0.7 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.0 38.8 
			 2002 6.9 10.8 9.7 7.7 2.8 0.7 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.0 39.1 
			 2003 7.7 11.1 10.3 8.6 3.1 0.7 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.0 42.0 
			 2004 8.8 11.6 10.4 8.2 3.0 0.7 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.0 43.1 
			 2005(29) 9.6 11.8 11.0 8.8 3.0 0.6 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.0 45.1 
			 Physics
			 1997 5.3 8.4 10.4 6.6 2.2 1.0 0.4 0.1 0.1 0.1 34.5 
			 1998 6.3 9.3 9.4 7.2 2.7 0.8 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.0 36.2 
			 1999 7.4 9.5 9.2 7.2 2.7 0.7 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.0 37.2 
			 2000 6.9 10.1 9.5 7.1 2.8 0.7 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.0 37.5 
			 2001 7.1 10.5 9.4 7.6 2.8 0.7 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.0 38.4 
			 2002 7.6 10.5 9.1 7.6 2.8 0.7 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.0 38.7 
			 2003 7.9 11.1 9.8 8.1 3.1 0.7 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.0 41.1 
			 2004 8.7 11.8 10.1 8.1 2.8 0.6 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 42.5 
			 2005(29) 9.4 12.2 11.0 8.2 2.9 0.6 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 44.7 
		
	
	(28) Age at the beginning of the academic year (i.e. 31 August).
	Figures for 2005 are provisional. All other figures are final.
	(29) Includes ungraded, no award (absent/declined) and pending.
	(30) Grade U refers to pupils who are ungraded or unclassified.
	(31) Grade X refers to pupils who were absent or results pending.
	(32) As numbers are rounded, figures in each row will not sum exactly to row totals.

Social Mobility

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the impact of education upon social mobility.

Jacqui Smith: In the Secretary of State's speech to IPPR on 26 July 2005, she set out the Government's commitment to help develop a society which can foster greater social mobility. The Secretary of State's speech underlined the important role that education can play in improving life chances for all individuals, and it set out the forward looking context for our programme of reform across the system.
	Education has an important role to play in promoting social mobility. For example analysis by researchers at the London School of Economics in their report published by the Sutton Trust: "Intergenerational Mobility in Europe and North America" estimate that measures of education account for 35 to 40 per cent. of the intergenerational income mobility for cohorts born in 1958 and 1970.

Social Mobility

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action is being taken by her Department to promote social mobility.

Jacqui Smith: Improving life-chances for all lies at the heart of the principles behind our 5-year "Strategy for Children and Learners":
	Early intervention to support very young children and families to lay the foundations for later success—not just in education, but in supporting the welfare of the whole child, carrying through into better services for all children and young people;
	A continuing drive to ensure that every child leaves primary school with the basics in reading, writing and maths; and an enjoyment of learning, built through an enriched curriculum including the arts, music, sport and a foreign language;
	Creating secondary and further education which widens choice, stretches and engages the underachieving and prepares young people better for working life;
	Reducing the historic deficit in adult skills, not just by greater participation and attainment by 16–19 year olds, but by addressing the needs of those in the work force to update their skills; and
	Sustaining an excellent university sector, capable of high quality teaching, world class research and increasing responsiveness to employers.
	Education has an important role to play in improving social mobility and so we must make sure that a good education is available to every child in every community. The White Paper "Higher Standards, Better Schools for All" marks the next phase in the Government's continuing drive towards transforming our education system by:
	tailoring education around the needs of each individual child—so that no child falls behind and no child is held back from achieving their potential;
	putting parents at the centre of our thinking—giving them greater choice and active engagement in their child's learning and how schools are run; and
	empowering schools and teachers to respond to local and parental demands, injecting dynamism and innovation into our schools.

Teaching Standards

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what steps are being taken by her Department to improve teaching standards;
	(2)  what steps are being taken by her Department to improve teachers' awareness of socio-economic factors and their impact upon pupil achievement;
	(3)  what training is given to teachers to improve their capacity to tackle under achievement by pupils from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Jacqui Smith: According to Ofsted, we already have the best ever generation of teachers and the quality of teaching in our schools has been transformed in our schools since 1997. Ofsted judged teaching to be good or better in 78 per cent. of secondary schools inspected in 2004/05 compared with 59 per cent. in 1996/97, and in 74 per cent. of primary schools compared with 45 per cent. in 1996/97. Our recent White Paper "Higher Standards, Better Schools for All" set out our plans for a "new professionalism" for teachers, in which career progression and financial rewards will go to those who make the biggest impact on pupil progress and those who show commitment to their own professional development and that of their colleagues. A thorough reform of all teachers' professional standards, with more stretch at every level, will set out what can be expected of teachers at each stage in their career. More effective performance development—which includes performance management—will help focus teachers on effective classroom practice and ensure that they are involved in the professional development that best meets their personal needs and the specific needs of the school and its pupils.

Under-achievement

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the impact of parental education levels upon under-achievement (a) nationally and (b) by children from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Jacqui Smith: The Department is aware that research studies show that the level of parental education is a good predictor of their children's achievement.
	The Department funds the Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning (WBL) which produced a report and developed a model of the inter-generational transmission of educational success in 2004. The WBL report concluded that
	"parental education is a major influence both directly and via other channels such as income and parenting skills. However, there are many other important elements".
	These other factors include pre-school, neighbourhoods and schools which can mitigate or offset the impact of family level factors in a substantial way. Parental beliefs, values, aspirations and attitudes, as well as parental well-being, have an independent effect on pupil attainment. Parental skills in terms of warmth, discipline and education behaviours are all major factors in the formation of school success. These behaviours can be adopted by parents no matter what their background. (http://www.learningbenefits.net/Publications/ResReps/ResRep10.pdf).
	Another influential report commissioned by the Department and published in 2003 reviewed a large number of studies on the impact of parental involvement, parental support and parental education on pupil achievement. The review confirmed the importance of maternal education on child outcomes. However, the authors noted that when effects such as parental education and income were controlled the findings show that what parents do is as important as who they are:
	"parental involvement in the form of 'at-home good parenting' has a significant positive effect on children's achievement and adjustment even after all other factors shaping attainment have been taken out of the equation".
	This suggests that parental involvement is particularly important for children from low socio-economic backgrounds. (http://www.dfes.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RR433.pdf)
	The Department is sponsoring further research in this area to help increase our understanding of the issues and to inform policy development.

Under-achievement

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps are being taken by her Department to tackle the impact of socio-economic factors upon under-achievement.

Jacqui Smith: Improving life-chances for all lies at the heart of the principles behind our 5-year "Strategy for Children and Learners":
	Early intervention to support very young children and families to lay the foundations for later success—not just in education, but in supporting the welfare of the whole child, carrying through into better services for all children and young people;
	A continuing drive to ensure that every child leaves primary school with the basics in reading, writing and maths; and an enjoyment of learning, built through an enriched curriculum including the arts, music, sport and a foreign language;
	Creating secondary and further education which widens choice, stretches and engages the underachieving and prepares young people better for working life;
	Reducing the historic deficit in adult skills, not just by greater participation and attainment by 16–19 year olds, but by addressing the needs of those in the work force to update their skills; and
	Sustaining an excellent university sector, capable of high quality teaching, world class research and increasing responsiveness to employers.
	The Department remains committed to creating a system of education that allows all children to achieve, regardless of family circumstances. For example our recent White Paper "Higher Standards, Better Schools for All" sets out reforms to improve our school system and encourage greater personalisation, enabling all children to achieve. Curriculum reform is important too. The White Paper 14–19 Education and Skills sets out how we will build a system of 14–19 education to enable every child to reach their potential by providing better vocational routes; ensuring that all young people have a sound grounding in English and Maths and the skills they need for employment; and providing a stretching curriculum for all while re-engaging the disaffected.
	We continue to analyse the impact of socio-economic factors upon under-achievement. Following the publication by the Department of the paper "Has the Social Class Gap Narrowed in Primary Schools" in July (IPPR/2005), further analysis will be carried out over the coming months. In particular, we will look at key stages 1, 3 and 4, to the extent that data for these phases can be tracked over time on a comparable basis.

Under-achievement

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what steps are being taken by her Department to tackle social exclusion of children and young people;
	(2)  what steps are being taken by her Department to tackle deprivation among children of school age.

Jacqui Smith: Tackling poverty and exclusion is well embedded in the Department for Education and Skills policies. Through our "Five Year Strategy for Children and Learners" (July 2004), we are committed to giving children and families the best possible start in life, reducing the number of young people who leave school with low qualifications and providing opportunities through widening participation for the number of young adults with low and poor skills.
	DfES policies place particular emphasis on tackling child poverty and investing in high quality early years services because we know that this improves outcomes for children and that those benefits are greatest for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Many of these programmes, including Sure Start local programmes, neighbourhood nurseries and the early children's centres, are concentrated in the most disadvantaged areas. By promoting children's development, supporting parents and helping build strong local communities, early years provision particularly tackles deprivation and social exclusion by benefiting vulnerable families and disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
	We recognise, though, that the life chances of children and young people are still strongly determined by their parents' background. Through the recently published Schools White Paper we aim to break completely the cycle that makes under-achievement (and not 'lack of ability') and low expectations a regular hand-me-down from parent to child.
	Well-organised, safe and stimulating activities before and after school make a real difference to children's chances at school. We have committed additional funding to support the development of extended services in schools by making approximately £160 million of funding available to local authorities since 2003 and we will be making a further £680 million available from 2006–08. Deprivation levels will be a factor in distributing funding.
	The 14–19 White Paper sets out our priorities for those aged 14–19, including new opportunities for young people to enjoy new styles of learning, in different settings and with more opportunities for practical and applied learning. Those at most risk of dropping out will get extra support, including progression. Financial support and a number of learner support funds will be available for those who need it.

Under-achievement

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the impact of exclusion upon educational under-achievement (a) nationally and (b) by children from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Jacqui Smith: Departmental data shows that schools with higher levels of permanent exclusions tend to have lower levels of attainment and that young people who have been excluded from school also have lower levels of attainment. For example, only one in five young people who was reported as having been excluded from school in years 10 or 11, permanently or for a fixed period, achieved 5 A*-C GCSEs compared to almost three in five young people who had not been excluded. However, a direct causal link between exclusion and attainment has not been established.
	As well as having lower levels of attainment, in general schools with higher rates of permanent exclusion also tend to have higher percentages of pupils who are eligible for free school meals. However, there is a lot of variation at individual school level. Data from the Department for Work and Pensions shows that children who have been temporarily excluded from school are more likely to come from lone-parent families or from families where both parents are working less than 15 hours per week.
	In the recently published White Paper, "Higher Standards, Better Schools For All", we committed to requiring schools and local authorities to provide suitable full-time education for all excluded pupils from the sixth day of their exclusion, rather than from the sixteenth day as at present. This should help to raise levels of attainment among excluded pupils.

Under-achievement

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the impact of truancy upon under-achievement (a) nationally and (b) by children from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Jacqui Smith: Analyses of national data show that there is a correlation between both authorised and unauthorised absences from school and pupils' levels of achievement. On average, pupils in schools with lower levels of absence tend to perform better at key stage 2, key stage 3 and GCSE than pupils in schools with higher levels of absence.
	Analyses of national data also show links between higher levels of pupils in receipt of free school meals and higher levels of absence. Recent research on behalf of the Department by the National Foundation for Educational Research "An analysis of pupil attendance data in Excellence in Cities areas and non-EiC EAZs: final report" reports that the highest levels of attainment at key stage 3 and GCSE, once all other pupil characteristics, prior attainment and school variables were taken into account, were associated with, among other things, pupils who lived in areas of relatively less deprivation compared with the cohort. On average, these pupils also tended to have fewer absences from school than other pupils in the cohort.
	The associations identified do not in themselves prove that there is a direct causal relationship between pupils' absences and their attainment. However, we believe that every pupil should attend school regularly if they are to achieve their full potential and our strategy aims to reduce the overall level of absences from school, including those due to persistent truancy.

Abortions

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many abortions were conducted in the past 12 months in England and Wales (a) at 20 or more weeks, gestation and (b) at 12 weeks, or fewer of gestation;
	(2)  what information she collects on the number of Northern Irish women who come to England or Wales to have an abortion.

Caroline Flint: The information requested can be found in the Department's statistical bulletin 2005/11 "Abortion Statistics, England and Wales: 2004", which is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/11/75/74/04117574.pdf
	Copies are also available in the Library.
	The available, provisional abortion data for January to March 2005 can be found in "Health Statistics Quarterly 27" at:
	www.nationalstatistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk= 6725&Pos=&ColRank=1&Rank=422

Health Services (Tooting)

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department has allocated for (a) hospital services, (b) general practitioner services and (c) dental services in the constituency of Tooting in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is shown in the tables.
	Funding for general practitioner services and dental services has historically, with some exceptions, been held centrally and not allocated to primary care trusts (PCTs). Funding was demand led, with payments made in response to claims submitted by general practitioners and dentists.
	Following the new general practitioner contract, the Department made primary medical services allocations to PCTs in 2004–05 and 2005–06, which will become part of PCTs' overall allocations from 2006–07.
	Following the new dental contract, the Department will make dental allocations to PCTs from 2006–07.
	The Department has made allocations to PCTs from 2003–04.
	The Department made separate primary medical services (PMedS) allocations to PCTs in 2004–05 and 2005–06.
	Table 1 shows the allocations made to Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth Health Authority (HA) in 1997–98 and 1998–99. The Department made allocations to HAs from 1996–97 for hospital and community health services (HCHS).
	
		Table 1: HCHS allocations 1997–98 to 1998–99 £ million
		
			 HA 1997–98 1998–99 
		
		
			 Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth 309.3 322.3 
		
	
	Note:
	It is not possible to separate the allocations for hospital services from the allocations for community health services.
	Table 2 shows the unified allocations made to Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth HA between 1999–2000 and 2002–03. The Department made unified allocations to HAs from 1999–2000 covering HCHS, prescribing and general medical services cash limited.
	
		Table 2: Unified allocations 1999–2000 to 2002–03 £ million
		
			 HA 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Merton, Sutton and  Wandsworth 423.0 455.9 498.6 563.1 
		
	
	Note:
	These services cannot be separately identified. These figures are not comparable with earlier years which cover HCHS only.
	Table 3 shows the revenue allocations made to Wandsworth PCT for 2003–04 to 2005–06.
	
		Table 3: Revenue allocations 2003–04 to 2005–06 £ million
		
			 PCT 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 
		
		
			 Wandsworth 275.8 303.1 332.2 
		
	
	In February 2005, the Department announced revenue resource allocations to PCTs for 2006–07 and 2007–08. Table 4 shows the revenue allocations to Wandsworth PCT for 2006–08.
	
		Table 4: Revenue resource allocations 2006–07 and 2007–08 £ million
		
			 PCT 2006–07 2007–08 
		
		
			 Wandsworth 388.4 420.0 
		
	
	Note:
	These include primary medical services funding and are not comparable with earlier years.